Friday, May 13, 2016

Recently, Canada’s new prime minister, Justin Trudeau, lifted
policies from the previous administration that muzzled the government’s
communication with the press and importantly, in my view, silenced government
scientists and researchers.

Essentially, scientists and researchers working for the
government were prohibited from talking with journalists under Stephen Harper’s
regime. A reporter would either have to seek information from the
communications office or undergo a burdensome process before getting interview
approval. Even then, scientists and researchers were often equipped with
scripted talking points.

Access to researchers is important in the world of
journalism. In order for us to report accurate information, it is best to go
directly to the source. When roadblocks get in the way, we get a watered-down
version that fits the narrative of the owner of the information. In this case,
the government. Basically, they are writing our story for us.

Transparency in government research is essential for
journalists, not to mention citizens to ensure regulations based on that
research are truly warranted.

The buzz phrase of the month in Canada now – “transparent
government is a good government.”

Thursday, May 12, 2016

If
you’ve listened to any of the presidential debates, you have heard them talk
about “Dodd-Frank,” the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. In
response to the recession suffered in the 2007-2008 financial crisis years, the
U.S. Congress passed the act in 2010.

One of
the things Dodd-Frank did was to create the Consumer Financial Protection
Bureau. This bureau is an independent government agency tasked with making sure
the banks and financial service providers – from payday loan cheats to we-finance-anyone
tricksters – operate fairly.

Since it
began in 2011, this bureau known as the CFPB claims it has helped return $4
billion to American consumers as a result of its enforcement actions.

It’s
set up to be more than a complaint bureau. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, the CFPB
can take action against institutions or individuals engaged in unfair,
deceptive or abusive acts or practices that violate federal consumer financial
laws. And now the bureau wants even sharper teeth.

Transport Topics and
Heavy Duty Trucking magazine described
an ambitious platooning demonstration in Europe, featuring six platoons of two
or three trucks apiece, each representing a truck manufacturer -- DAF Trucks
(owned by Paccar), Daimler Trucks, Iveco, MAN Truck & Bus (owned by
Volkswagen), Scania, and Volvo Group. Each platoon had its own starting point,
and all converged in the Dutch port of Rotterdam. Scania had the longest trip,
over 900 miles from Stockholm, Sweden.

Hey, Land Line is
hardly ignoring the subject. In fact a Land
Line contributing editor, our own Suzanne Stempinski, is one of the few
people anywhere licensed to drive an autonomous truck, and she actually drove
Daimler’s demonstration model in Nevada last year. I write about the subject
myself from time to time. But I do take a very different view from some
prophets.

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